More than Just 'Close'
by Ciestess
Summary: "Can you write about SO taking care of a sick Jushiro? : ) I love this man sm"
1. More than Just Close

This OSW is a request from "whosmae" on Tumblr

* * *

Hibiki could hear them arguing from a street away. It was nothing unusual, but, admittedly, this wasn't really the… _atmosphere_ they were going for today.  
Which is why, instead of tolerating the two like they normally would, Hibiki sent the pair after a "special tea" from a shop far enough away to ensure a few hours of privacy… while those two headaches searched in vain and argued over whose fault it was they could never find the mysterious (non-existent) beverage.

It was borderline-cruel, but they knew Jushiro would forgive them. Especially since they brought along the special ohagi that he so loved.

But first, "Oh, Hibiki. Hello- *cough COUGH*!"

Jushiro's voice was strained as he looked up at his… Well, they had yet to name their relationship, but it was perfectly clear to Hibiki that they were more than just "close."

… At least, that's what they believed. But given Jushiro's personality, they were still a bit uncertain, and both had yet to actually, well…  
Hibiki blushed lightly, and returned his greeting.

"You've been in bed all day, huh," the younger soul reaper stated, setting down their package. Jushiro chuckled lightly, laying back down. "Would you like some tea?"

"That would be delightful."

They got to work making some, filling the captain in as to the more mundane happenings of the Soul Society. Times were relatively peaceful - so of course, there was plenty going on to talk about: the latest squabbles of squad 11, who was now dating (or crushing on) who, how the students at the academy were progressing, and of course-

"The kids absolutely LOVED the latest chapter of 'Sōgyō no Okotowari!' you wrote! Honestly, how do you come up with these ideas, Ju?"

"Heh. When you're forced to sit around for long periods of time, your mind uses that time to wonder."

Hibiki poured him a cup and, carefully, brought it over to him with a couple of the ohagi. Unfortunately for them, Jushiro looked up at them with _that_ smile just when they were bending down. They quickly course-corrected to avoid spilling on Ukitake. The captain grabbed their sleeve, preventing their fall, but not the tea from burning their hand.

"Oh, dear-"

"I'm ok!" Hibiki said, wincing, "I know where th-"

"Here, let me see." He didn't give them a chance to argue, healing their hand before they could protest that "he shouldn't be wasting energy in his condition." It didn't keep them from doing so after-the-fact, though.

"You shouldn't be wasting energy in your condi-"

"*cough* *COUGH-cough*"

"See?" Hibiki got up to get him more tea, but Ukitake tugged on their robe to get their attention.

"Actually." His voice sounded like he had been screaming at the top of his lungs all night. "I'm kind of chilly with just this blanket. There's a quilt in the closet down the hall. Could you get it for me? It's the red one."

"Of course."

Hibiki got him the cup of tea, then headed down the hall. The quilt was easy to spot - a brilliant scarlet.  
It was also on the top shelf. Now, Hibiki was by no means short, but this closet was clearly built for Jushiro. Who was even more "not short" than Hibiki. And as they jumped, and pulled and pulled at the thing, the other occupants of the shelf decided to fall on Hibiki's "not-short" head.

It was, thankfully, mostly pillows and other cushions. Hibiki grabbed a few, deciding it best to clean up the mess later.

When they returned, Jushiro was sitting up again, humming in appreciation of his favorite food. Hibiki added the cushions behind him to make it easier for him to sit, and was covering him with the quilt when he stopped them.

"Why don't you join me?"

"Hm?" Hibiki's gaze jolted up at him. Join him? U-under the quilt? W-wait, what?! Well, this IS what Hibiki wanted, but they weren't expecting him to - so suddenly-

"You went to all this trouble to make this for me," he gestured to the ohagi, "and I would love the company."

Oh.

Hibiki smiled, their breathing slowing, and sat down next to him. He just meant the foo-

Jushiro pulled them to his side and pulled the quilt over them both.

If Hibiki hadn't been blushing before (and they probably had), they were definitely blushing now. It felt like the sun had decided to shine from behind their face.

The rest of the day… and that evening… and that night were all a happy blur to Hibiki. It seemed to both go on forever and be over too soon. Jushiro always seemed to be able to make talking about anything comfortable and enjoyable - and they would never be able to remember, in the future, what exactly they had talked about that day.

Before Hibiki knew it, they were waking up to the "Two Headaches" apologizing about not finding the tea - which quickly ended when they opened the door and saw their Captain sleeping peacefully - with Hibiki wrapped in his arms. (Or at least, appearing to be so. Hibiki knew better, and pretended to still be sleeping right along with him.)

Rumors and gossip spread like wildfire after that, of course. Which Hibiki gladly relayed to Jushiro.

Yep. They were definitely MORE than just "close."

* * *

This is part of my "One-Shot Wednesday" project - I'm trying to write a one-shot every week that other people have requested! Original Requests one week, and Fanfic Requests the next.  
(Only Fanfic OSWs are posted on this site, however.)

To **vote for the next OSW**, go to my Tumblr ("CiestessDE"), Twitter ("Ciestess"), or my website (crossroadofinfinity. com) to find the current poll!

While I will try to keep track of all the requests I receive _regardless_ of how they're sent, you should send Fanfic Requests through the pinned tweet on my Twitter ("Ciestess"), and Original Requests through either my email (CiestessDE *at* gmail . com) or my P atreon (if you're a patron) if you want to make sure I see them.

Just about everything goes - I'll tell you if there's a problem. But** if you want to know more about how they work**, you can read about Original OSWs on my website (crossroadofinfinity. "com/" 2019/07/07/how-it-works/), and Fanfic OSWs in my profile.

So please send me ALL the ideas! I will make sure to recognize whoever's idea/request it was in the work – just ask if you want to remain anonymous.

And if you liked this, please **SHARE** it!


	2. It's Gonna Be OK

This OSW continuation is a request from "MizORbust" on AO3!

* * *

Hibiki prided themself on being able to read people. Which is why they knew, from the instant they and Jushiro locked eyes, that he was a complete. And total. _Fucking LIAR_.

Hibiki was a low-ranking soul reaper at the time, just graduated from the academy. It wasn't their first mission, but it was the first one _this big_. It was the first one that required a Captain.  
A menos had entered the World of the Living, and their team was in charge of keeping wholes and humans safe and away from the fight.

It was going well. Hibiki had their guard down, trusting that, since the more powerful reapers were fighting the hollow, they could pay attention _solely_ to their assignment.  
They learned their lesson thoroughly - _always pay attention to the enemy_.

They were flash-stepping back into the battlefield to rescue the ghost of a teenage boy when the menos fired the cero. They noticed in time to throw the boy…  
But Hibiki got hit.

_**It burned.  
**__Their left side was on fire!_ It felt like their entire rib cage was broken, and their left leg definitely was.  
Hibiki blacked out after hitting the ground.

The next thing Hibiki could remember was seeing the pretty, white-haired captain leaning over them. He was carrying them somewhere. He looked down, and they met eyes for the first time.  
He smiled sweetly and said, "You're okay. Everything is okay."  
Hibiki smiled sweetly back. 'Fucking liar'  
They actually almost laughed, because… even in this situation… He was actually _really convincing_! Oh, wow… If they were any less perceptive… they would've believed him - Completely!

And it didn't end there. To Hibiki's astonishment, he actually came to check on them!  
And every time he did, he always snuck some sweets in with him. And he'd tell them how quickly they were recovering. And how well they were doing at getting their strength back.  
Even though _Hibiki knew_ it was taking them a normal amount of time... That _fucking liar_.  
… He always made them smile.

And because they knew he was doing it to cheer them up, they went along with it. And because Hibiki was pretty good at manipulating people themself, they got away with it, too.

Finally, when Hibiki was cleared to return to their squad, they found a small party waiting for them.  
And he was there… of course he was.  
They smiled.

It was really just a dinner and some drinks. Hibiki talked with the squad mates they were closest to, but eventually found themself and Captain Ukitake talking in-depth on his story "Sōgyō no Okotowari." They hadn't had much else to do while stuck in bed but read, and it was actually quite good. Though, they were confused about one thing:  
"Where do you get the time to write?"  
"Oh…" He was hesitating. "I have a chronic illness that… Keeps me in bed for extended periods of time - but it's nothing you need to worry about!"  
"... " Hibiki smirked, "You're lying again."

The Captain stared at them. But instead of denying it, "Again?"  
He smiled that sweet - _lying_ \- smile of his, "Whatever do you mean by that? I haven't lied - least of all to you!"  
"Really~…?" They narrowed their eyes at him.  
He was getting nervous now. Just slightly.  
But they were far from shaking him.  
Hibiki shrugged, "Sorry. Must have been my imagination."

The next time they'd meet would be, once again, during a mission. A slew of hollows were attacking a populated area, and a large number of soul reapers were needed to combat them.  
Hibiki was a better fighter by this point, though nowhere near the level of a seated officer. But they were good enough to lead a team of their own in this situation.

One of their less-experienced comrades was attacked by a hollow much too strong for them. And, once again, Hibiki leapt into the line of fire to save someone - and got hurt themself.  
This time, they were bleeding. It's claw had slashed their stomach open.  
And _once again_, Captain Ukitake was nearby and carried them to safety.  
But… He was coughing… Coughing up blood.

Their eyes met again. He was frowning, worried.  
Hibiki smiled at him, and said with their most convincing - _lying _\- expression, "It's gonna be ok…"  
His eyes twitched. His mouth opened _just a bit_. And his face froze in that surprised expression for a couple seconds - then broke into a smile.  
'Well, whaddaya know… He almost laughed.'  
"Yeah…" And that was all he said to them for a long time.

But well… That's an entirely different story.

* * *

This is part of my "One-Shot Wednesday" project - I'm trying to write a one-shot every week that other people have requested! Original Requests one week, and Fanfic Requests the next.  
(Only Fanfic OSWs are posted on this site, however.)

To **vote for the next OSW**, go to my Tumblr ("CiestessDE"), Twitter ("Ciestess"), or my website (crossroadofinfinity. com) to find the current poll!

While I will try to keep track of all the requests I receive _regardless_ of how they're sent, you should send Fanfic Requests through the pinned tweet on my Twitter ("Ciestess"), and Original Requests through either my email (CiestessDE *at* gmail . com) or my P atreon (if you're a patron) if you want to make sure I see them.

Just about everything goes - I'll tell you if there's a problem. But** if you want to know more about how they work**, you can read about Original OSWs on my website (crossroadofinfinity. "com/" 2019/07/07/how-it-works/), and Fanfic OSWs in my profile.

So please send me ALL the ideas! I will make sure to recognize whoever's idea/request it was in the work – just ask if you want to remain anonymous.

And if you liked this, please **SHARE** it!


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